This separation is caused by a lack of understanding of the average American. Our population is pretty evenly split with about 50% men and 50% women. Our Senate and House are about 20% women, not matching the population. We also fail to represent the growing number of Hispanics with about 3% in both branches, and about 15% of the overall population.
There is also a major separation in income. The average American makes about about 51,000 a year. The average congressman is part of the 1% who earns about 7.5 times the median income.
Our one percenters are also about to save more, with average holdings of more 69% more then the average. Your income and savings have a lot of influence over your issues. Having a stable income allows you invest and have financial safety. A growing number of Americans are missing out on this. The inflation rate and minim wage have not increased at the same rate. This means these people don’t make enough to live off, but it benefits businesses bottom dollar to pay employees less. To them and our congressmen capitalism is working. As they gain more wealth and leaser time it is easy to over look the little guy who doesn’t count as part of your election party.
If our congress does not accurately represent the people it can create un-obvious biases and lack of understanding of cultural issues. The wealth gap will continue to increase as long as big business can throw large dollars towards campaign funding. This is creating and underlining tie between congress and corporations, this tie can influence legislation. If you want that big campaign contribution from a poultry company, and you enact laws regulating them, you probably wont get that funding. This issue crosses party lines and goes to who’s lining the congressman’s campaign pockets. Campaign contributions are less regulated now and have been under great criticism for this, but nothing has been done.
Our re-election process is a big fail. It puts focus on funding for increasingly more expensive campaigns and not on holding our representatives accountable. If we could change the election funding process or put a cap on campaign spending it would be a step in the right direction. Right now our congress is not able to focus on what they are in office to do but rather on staying in office. This is far from what we want our legislators to be worried about. I want our congressman and women to worry about the people not making enough to feed them selves, the growing student debts, as well our countries own debts, and less on financial contributions.